Haunted by Fear
by Wolfyn
Summary: A person wakes up in the street just a few yards away from the crater cliffs of the Origin facility explosion. Having no recollection of his life before he woke up, he draws the undesired attention of Alma Wade. For reasons that cannot be explained.
1. Chapter One: Awaken

Interval One: Destruction

Chapter One: Awaken

I awoke gazing into the sky, it seemed strange for some reason. It appeared to be snowing. Grey flakes fluttered down in a peaceful manner. But the sky looked mostly clear, with orange and red colors mostly dominating it. There just wasn't enough cloud cover to explain the flakes that rained down. I didn't get up right away. I just laid there staring out into the sky. I turned my head looking at a disfigured building. It appeared as if some giant pissed off monster had came in ripped the rooftop off in search for victims then decided to put his fist into the side several times.

As I slowly got up. A lot of things suddenly became clear. The first was the fact that I had been laying down in the middle of the street. I noticed immediately that the whole area looked rampaged. Debris and rumble littered the street. There were fires spawned all over. Remnants of cars were scattered on the pavement. The destruction was as troubling as it was immense

Then I noticed a massive plume of rising smoke. It was dark grey in origin, most likely where the mysterious snow flakes were coming from. As I walked forward the street disappeared into a vast crater from which the plume was rising from. "My god...."I mouthed, It suddenly occurred to me that only two things could have happened. A meteor from space. Or a nuclear explosion.

As soon as I thought of this my heart began to jump in my throat.. I immediately turned and began to run away from the side of the crater. As I did a building on the very edge of the crater began to collapse into the street where I had been standing. Stopping to look back I gazed in horror, as the building fell most of it rolling off the side of the cliff into the crater.

"Fuck!" yelling as I turned back around I ran down the the middle of the street. Filled with adrenaline, I ran looking at the buildings all of them appeared as if they could all collapse around me at any second. As I ran deeper into the city I began to notice that no one else was roaming the street. I was apparently all alone, I paused to catch my breath and to look around, the whole area seemed creepy. The light from the evening sun casted eerie shadows off the buildings.

I winced at the pain originating from the side of my head. I looked around and immediately fell to the ground. I opened my eyes as soon as I hit the ground. I felt a sharp dull pain center between my eyes, My head was throbbing in pain. I sat up and noticed blood on my fingers from where I had grabbed my head. I tried to remember what I was doing before the blast.

But I couldn't remember anything, not even my own name. No recollection of anything before the blast. "Great" I mumbled. The pain in my head began to feel like someone was constantly whacking it with a hammer. I gathered my self up and stumbled, quickly becoming disoriented and dizzy. I stood still as my vision slowly came back and I began to make my way down the street. Looking out for any signs of survivors.

I went on for over an hour several times having climb over large piles of rubble that blocked the street. The destruction seemed to lessen the farther I got away from the crater. The pain in my head seemed to be lessening as well. All though most likely I was just getting used to it. As I jogged freely down the street, a figure darted across the street a block or so down.

"Hey.."Hey!" I yelled impulsively, The figure had already crossed the street by the time I yelled. I ran to the area of which the person crossed. "Hello!" I called out, again I received no answer. No reply, nothing but the rustle of the wind rushing between the buildings, on its way down the street.

The wind sent chills crawling down my back. It felt extremely cold, It made me begin to move again. As I did a door slowly opened and someone stepped out and began to walk down the sidewalk facing away from me. As I began to walk up the person turned and faced me, stopping me down in my tracks. The person was horribly disfigured. I couldn't tell if this person was male of female. It's face looked like it had melted like candle wax and dried creating something that you'd expect to see stalk you in a horror film.

"My god are you ok?" I said slowly approaching the person. It snarled and yelled disorienting my vision in a orange and black haze. As I regained awareness the person was gone. No where to be seen. I desperately looked around the area but found no one. I was alone again and the more I thought about it the more paranoid I got. That person should not have been alive.

I finally gave up and began to continue. Several blocks later I began to hear the faint echo of a helicopter. It sounded like it was getting louder. But I couldn't tell where it was coming from. Several second pasted as I tried to find the source, as it grew louder and louder. Finally I spotted what I was looking from. It was flying low over the street I was in. "Hey! Down here!" I was yelling and waving my arms. Trying to get the pilot's attention. But the helicopter passed right over me and kept going. I was screaming out.

I was being ignored, left for dead. I desperately ran after the chopper. That is when I noticed that it had stopped. It was hovering a few blocks down. Drop lines were being lowered as people slid down them. I ran as fast as I could. "They are coming to save me!" I thought as I closed the distance between me and the chopper. It began to fly off but I was more concentrated on the people I saw in the street.

"Hey! Over Here," I called out. I was so relieved to see someone I didn't pay attention to the little details that was occurring. They appeared to be soldiers yet most of them had quickly taken defensive positions behind what cover they could find. All of them were wearing masks. One of them had his hand to his ear. He then turned raising his gun facing my way. I put my hands in the air. "I am unar....."

They opened fire before I could finish. Lucky for me I failed to notice the hole in the asphalt and I began to slide down on a slanted piece of street leading into a sewer. I fell into the sewerage that laid at the bottom and disappeared beneath the surface. I surfaced thrashing around covered head to toe in a nasty slime. Holding back the impulse to throw up I move away from the hole I fell through and waited quietly. Trying not to cough up my stomach, or any other organs I needed to live.

I listened quietly my senses on edge. My hands were shaking uncontrollably. As I began to hear the sound of footsteps. "Do you think we hit him?" "not sure should we pursue him?" Oddly enough all their voices sounded about the same. "That wasn't our orders, We need to set up positions around the facility's entrance if we see anything move our orders are to shoot on sight." They began to walk away from the hole. Their footsteps getting less and less audible. I closed my eyes and exhaled in relief. Soldiers? Facility? What the fuck is going on? Why were they ordered to shoot everything that they saw, none of it made any sense.

I opened my eyes, and immediately noticed a small figure standing at the end of the sewerage drain I was in. There was a working light behind the child-like figure. It was casting a dark silhouette on what I was looking at. The figured seemed to be facing me. It didn't move for several seconds. For some reason I began to get goosebumps as a chill ran down my spine. The headache that I had earlier, began to throb again piercing my vision in a red blur. At first I thought I was imagining it.

But the figure finally turned and began to walk down the intersecting sewerage path. I got up and wiped my face. "Damn it I have shit in my hair" I mumbled as I thumbed through it quickly moving towards the light at the end of the sewerage drain I was in. I poked my head around the corner in the direction the figure went. Seeing nothing but the long pathway that stretched seemly forever. I then looked the other way that was when I noticed a glowing white light that crossed the pathway and disappear again heading down one of the sewerage drains, running parallel to the one I fell into. Several chills ran down my spine.

I happened to look down at my feet and stepped back in confusion. I noticed small bare footprints in the light. They were blood red obviously made by the figure that had been staring my way when I first notice it. They were human, small bloody footprints. There were no prints leading to where the the figure stood. I poked my head around the corner again. My eyes followed the footprints that lead into where there wasn't any light. "A child?" I questioned.

The light that I was standing by began to flicker. I turned to look at it. It stopped and I looked back down the drainage system and froze seeing the same figure staring back at me. The hairs on the back of my neck raised up.. It was indeed a child, a girl in a red dress. She had black hair and her face seemed pale in the light she was standing in. Again it seemed like a stare off. She didn't move, her arms were at her side. Her head seemed to be tilted down a bit.

I took one step forwards her and the light she was standing in began to flicker. It shut off for a less than a second and when it came back on she was gone. My quivered in pain as my headache spiked, blurring my vision red again. I stood there fighting between wanting to go look for her and find the nearest man hole and get out. The hairs on my back would not lay down. Chills ran down my back continuously for about a minute. As my breathing quickened, I was freaked out. I began to make my way down the pathway I stood in the light were the girl had been. There wasn't any footprints.

I looked around and notice a ladder leading up to a man hole. I sighed in relieve, grabbing a hold and I was about to start to climb up when I heard a unintelligible whisper it sounded like a child's voice. I looked around and saw that same glowing light that I had seen earlier It was in the darkness standing still. I looked closer and noticed a face, torso, arms, and legs of a person. It was looked directly at me. "A ghost?" I questioned. It was snarling and grumbling. It starting running at me.

My eyes widened and I began to propel myself up the ladder. "fucking shit!" I yelled. I reached the top and began to desperately try to move the man hole lid from its resting place. The sounds I was hearing behind me made me punch the lid. It began to give way and I moved it and was out of the sewerage system before I could really think. Crawling away from the hole I was shaking all over. I impulsively rubbed myself over. "What the fuck! Was that?" I yelled out. I was afraid the thing would follow me up the ladder.

Getting up I grabbed the lid and walked over to the hole looking down inside it. I saw nothing and nervously covered the hole back up. Quickly stepping back away from it, I was shaking all over my body seemed to know what my mind couldn't comprehend. "What the fuck is going on! What the fuck was that? What the fuck!!" I was holding my head. Looking around I walked away from the hole. It had gotten much darker since falling into the sewer. I was now looking around for anything that might come at me. I was on a different street but it still looked the same.

I seemed to be looking at everything differently now. Every dark corner, broken out window a place where more of those things could be. I slowly began to calm down as I began to look for a place to rest for the night. But nothing I saw seemed to set my nerves at ease with the paranoia that had manifested in the back of my mind.

"Is that corn!" I yelled pulling a kernel from my tangled hair. "Fucking nasty, I don't want some fat guy 's nasty ass shit in my in hair or on me!" I threw it away stammering, frustrated that it was getting late and I still was out in the open. Some street lights had turned on. It helped out a little bit. Just when I was about to give up I notice a vehicle that surprisingly had all its windows intact. I tried the back door. It opened and I looked inside. It was empty but I notice a car seat.

I buried my thoughts, and began to take the car seat out. After taking it out I starting hearing strange sounds. I didn't hesitate I got inside and quietly shut the door. I had full range to look around the area hoping of course that I wouldn't be spotted. Plus to my advantage I had a functioning street light that was close by that illuminated parts of the area. It was helping my paranoia. I sat in the darkness curiously looking around. I began to wonder if I had imagined all that had occurred in the sewer. The girl, that ghost. I mentally began to kick myself because I left before I could decide wither to go looking for her or leave.

I looked on for about an hour seeing nothing out of the ordinary. It seemed quiet the street light was faithful it stayed on the whole time that I kept guard. I laid down in the back seat and tried to sleep. I remained still, afraid that something might have came out of it's hidden place and was near the vehicle. That bugged me to no ends. I tried to sleep but the images of the sewer haunted me every time I closed my eyes.

I finally worked up enough courage and sat up looking through the windows again. Once again I saw nothing which put my mind at ease. My headache from earlier had all but faded, I hadn't paid much attention until I sat up. The sudden movement must have somehow irritated it. I laid back down and closed my eyes. My head was spinning now, I felt sick to my stomach. The sickness quickly disappeared but then I became disoriented. Several chills shot down my back and I sat up looking around. My vision cleared. My eyes were focusing on the singular figure in the street light. It was the child from the sewer. I stared as the headache resurfaced. I watching her seemingly forever.

She finally turned and walked off into the night. The street light flicker a bit. I was breathing erratically, as I slowly turned coming face to face with a pair of golden yellow eyes. The girl was sitting in the front passenger seat turned around staring directly at me. I jumped hitting my head on the roof of the car. Her eyes seemed to be burning. Her pale face expressionless, I grabbed my head and looked at the blood on my fingertips. Looking up I took one last look at the girl who was still staring at me and passed out.

I awoke in a seemingly hellish nightmare. The sky looked alive, swirling around as a sea of black and red. Several drops of rain hit my face, which probably the reason why I was awake. I sat up and looked around. I took another look at the sky. It was covered in clouds, the movement in the them seemed very unnatural and violent. It was very unnerving, as the rain came down no wind accompanied it.

Getting to my feet I noticed that I was stand on top of a barren hill, over looking the smoldering ruins of a destroyed city. The sky made everything a dark reddish tint. "Am....Am I dead." I questioned looking down at my hands. "Not yet..." whispered all around me. I turned around looking up at the dead branches of a odd looking tree. There was a swing hanging from its highest branch. There wasn't anyone using it. But it was swinging back and forth as if there was.

My vision blurred for a few seconds, as it cleared I noticed the same little girl from before now swinging, as if she had been doing so all long. I tried to think of something but could not. Her eyes were looking over the city. Her face was emotionless, as she seemed to survey the destruction. "You shouldn't be here little girl." I finally managed to say. Her eyes didn't move for several seconds like she was in deep thought. But as she turned to me, her expression became dark, volatile, and full of contempt. She seemed to be staring straight through me. I stepped back and began to hear obscure whispers. She was still glaring at me as I blacked out.

My eyes opened slowly, I was looking at the back of the drivers seat. "It was only a dream," I thought, my head as on fire. It was sore from the shot it took, when I jumped and hit the roof. I opened the car door and got out. My whole body felt like it had been worked over with a meat tenderizer. I looked around. The sky was covered in a brown haze. That made the new day seem like the evening I had woken up to the day before.

I recalled the events from the day before, still unable to recall anything from before the explosion. I began to stretch out my body. I wouldn't have been surprised if I popped every bone in my body. It felt rather good, to say the least. My senses must have been been stunted too cause a helicopter flew right over me and I almost didn't even notice it. The sound was but a dull roar as it flew off into the distance. I listened closer and began to hear a lot more. The sound didn't seem to far off but it was echoing off the buildings. Making it difficult to determine the direction. It was gunfire and lots of it.

I finally determined the direction of the firefight as I jogged into the intersection of a four lane street. My nerves immediately began to calm down. I felt like I was finally getting somewhere. There were cars all over the street. But I didn't take the time to pay attention to much of anything. I was concentrated on finding where the gunfire had came from. It had grown oddly silent now.

I continued down the highway and came up on an open area. There were road blocks and several odd looking vehicles parked around it. As I approached I began to notice blood on one of the concrete blocks. I looked around the area then began to move closer. I froze where I stood, in front of the roadblock that had blood stained on it.

"What could have done this?" My eyes were fixed on the bloodied human skeleton that laid directly on top concrete road block. There was a large bloody soup pool underneath the hanging skull The jaw was gapping, like the person had been screaming as they died. As I knelt down noticing something in the skeleton's hands which mostly covered in blood. I turned away and reached out my hand into the sickening mess. I bit my lip as I resisted the urge to vomit pulling out the pistol that was still being gripped with a finger on the trigger. I opened the skeleton's hand freeing the gun from it's grip.

Staring at the gun I pulled the clip out and noticed a round in the chamber, the gun hadn't been fired at all. I checked over the gun without really knowing what I was doing. Wiping both my hands and the gun off on my pants, I looked up over the roadblock blood painted everything red. I jumped over the concrete blockade.

Landing with a wet thud, I stared at the carnage that laid before me. Blood painted the ground in a gooey puddle. Which seemed to stick to the bottom of my shoes. "Its like their bodies melted off their bones." I said out of curiosity. A child-like giggle echoed through my head. I continued to make my way around the area. I counted over 2 dozen skeletons before I began to look at the vehicles. They were polygon shaped with a turret on the top. As I approached one of them from the behind. The back end of it was open much like a door, with a ramp touching the ground.

I could hear the quick panting of someone breathing inside. "Who's in there?" I asked, I received no reply. I poked my head inside and quickly ducked out of the way as a weapon fired several times before running empty. The person was still clicking the trigger as I turned into the vehicle pulling out my pistol. "Stay back!" a voice yelled, The guy was laying on the ground his back against the driver's seat hold a radio in one hand, and a pistol in the other. He was still clicking the trigger. His face was covered in sweat his eyes seemed like they were about to bulge out of their sockets. "You can stop dry shooting your pistol." I said.

"I said stay the fuck back!" He stopped clicking the trigger on the pistol and began to lower it. I clicked the safety on mine and put it away. His eyes watching me as I did so. "Who are you?" he asked. "Me? I am no one," I replied. "Wheres.....Wheres the rest of my squad." "Well if your talking about whats left of the poor bastards outside....." My voice trailed off, he seemed to get the idea. "I take it your a soldier?" his face went ridge.

"Look all I want to know is if your the good guys. Cause the last bunch I ran across opened fire on me without hesitation." His expression didn't change. "So it's classified? You could have just said that." I said in frustration. "Yes we are the good guys but our mission isn't search and rescue, like you might think. Our mission is containment by any means possible." "Containment of what?" I questioned. "Everyone, no one is allowed to leave the city until we can resolve the crisis. Haven't you been watching the news, all citizens are to either remain in their homes or go to a shelter." His voice began to get hostile.

"Hey I woke up in the middle of a street, a few yards from the side of the fucking crater. With no fucking memory of anything before that. Does it look like I have had a chance to sit down in front of a TV and watch the news?" I said almost yelling. "Alright I get it, It just surprises me that your not dead yet." he replied as he stood up. He was a Caucasian like me, though he was a lot bigger than me . "Why is that?" I questioned. He hesitated as if he was about to let some big cat out of the bag. "Becau....." his face immediately went ridged like someone had hit a pause button. "Because why?" I asked.

Thats when I noticed blood dripping from his nose. He began to scream. He grabbed his head as blood began to pour from his ears and mouth. For the next several seconds I stood there petrified. As the guy's skin began to melt off, he was still screaming, The sounds he was making were almost as disturbing as what I was witnessing. I took a few steps back in horror, he was pointing at me. The poor soul was still alive. His eyes melted out of his skull and the rest of him sort of just dropped in a gut-wrenching splash. What was left of him came to rest at the base of my feet. "What the fuck was that?" I yelled, turning around I caught a glimpse of that little girl, her yellow eyes looking into the vehicle, she was smiling. I ran out out the back and looked around she was gone.

"This is bullshit! People turning into a pile of gore at random, hallucinations, I am losing my fucking mind! What the fuck is going on?" I was screaming, Blood began to drip from my nose. I panicked thinking the same thing was happening to me. My head felt like it was going to split in two. I fell to the ground holding my head. "This can't be real, This can't be happening." I pulled my hands away from my head.

The pain venting between the center of my eyes was crippling. I pulled out my pistol and centered it between my eyes. My finger slammed on the trigger. It didn't move, I tried several times before driving the front sight into my skin. I threw the gun away and got up. My vision was blurred, my head felt like it was about to pop like a balloon. I walked over to the side of the vehicle and began to slam my fists into the gun metal colored armor plating.

For about a minute my fists and feet collided with the metal. I couldn't feel any pain originating from them. All I could feel was the pain that was boiling underneath the gash I had made with the gun. I finally stopped putting my back against the vehicle and sliding down it, coming to a rest on the ground. My hands were shaking violently. My vision was still blurry, but standing directly in front of me was that little girl. I was to wrecked too care what happened anymore. I closed my eyes, breathing slowly for several seconds. When I opened them she was gone.

"Any second now....." I mumbled, as I sat there thinking at any moment, I'd become like the rest of the corpses littered around me. I felt the pain between my eyes begin to fade, my vision also began to clear. I stood up and looked down at my hands. They cracked horribly as I clinched them into fists. Sharp jolts of pain shot up my arms, It felt lovely compared to what I just endured a few minutes ago. I walked over and picked up my pistol up off the ground. I turned looking into the gut-ridden interior of the military vehicle hearing the faint sounds of someone's voice...yelling.

As I stepped inside the voice became coherent. "Damn it Major you better not be sleeping!" The voice was coming from the radio the guy had been carrying. The man's voice sounded aged, but authoritative. I bent over and picked up the radio. "Major fucking report!" blared though the speaker. "Must you yell?" I asked speaking with a bit of annoyance in my tone. There was a short pause before the person began to speak again. "Jason is that you?" "No," I replied. "Then who's this and wheres Major Kepler " The man's voice seemed on edge. "Me? I am no one. As for your Major if he was the same poor fuck, who was once holding this radio. I watched him turned into a steaming pot of tomato soup."

"Damn it! Hold on a second." As I waited for a reply, I decide to get out of the vehicle, for obvious reasons. Static came through the radio as the same person began to speak. "Alright son you still alive?" "Apparently so," I replied back. "and you say that Kepler is dead?" "Well if melting like candle wax qualifies as death. Then yes I'd say everyone just about met the same fate here." There was a brief pause, "yes I am aware of that. Now who am I speaking with?" The person sounded impatient. "If I knew that I would have told you the first time." replying as I walked around the area. "Well I am General Author Lexington, I am in charge of the crisis situation here in Fairport."

"Good day General," I replied cheerfully. "Son I have a bit of a problem on my hands. The squad that you have come across are the only soldiers I had in the area. They were being prepped for a mission to secure an area close to your location," he explained. "I don't know how this concerns me." replying out of curiosity. "I believe you may be able to help out...." "Help out? you mean attempt the mission. I am no soldier, General." I replied cutting him off.

"Look I have no one else in the area, The only way into the area is either by helicopter, or the path that the original squad had to carve with their APCs. Trust me in any other situation, I wouldn't resort to this. I wouldn't even consider it as an option. I still can't believe that I am asking a civilian to help out in such a way. I need to know right now if you will help." his voice was demanding. I paused for several seconds before shaking my head. "What do you need me to do?" I replied into the radio.

"First let me explain, beneath your feet is a facility believed to contain information critical to helping contain the crisis. The squad's mission was to capture the entrance to the facility and wait the arrival of another team. Who would then infiltrate the facility and gather the info." He paused for a moment. "Your mission will be to recon the area around the entrance and reporting any activity. You will then wait as the original team designated to infiltrate the facility, will move in and secure the area themselves. You will link up with them when they have secured the area and they will call for helicopter extraction. When your safely on the chopper, they will infiltrate the facility and continue with they're mission. Is there anything you do not understand?" He questioned.

"No I think I understand, but if I may add. I was shot at by a group of soldiers who had been airdropped by helicopter. They opened fire on me as I fell into a hole in the street leading into a sewer drainage way. They mentioned something about taking up positions around around a facility's entrance." I said try to help out. "Shit.... ok thanks for the Intel. I am going to turn you over to Lieutenant Fairchild, she will monitor you and help you complete your mission. You need to listen to her every step of the way, if she tells you to run don't hesitate, Your survival might depend on wither or not you listen to her instructions. Good luck and thank you. When you make it back to our base safely, expect a proper greeting."

The radio went silent for about a minute, "ok big boy can you hear me?" The high pitched voice startled me. "Yeah I can" I replied "Good I need to get you combat ready ASAP. First head into one of the APCs, there should be lockers in there with military equipment, I need you to take off everything but your shirt and underwear the rest isn't needed." I listened and headed towards a second APC that had its back door down. Looking through the lockers I pulled out the gear she requested. "Now listen to me very carefully. The stuff your putting on is going to help protect you in a lot of ways. But its no use unless you are smart.

Most importantly you need to stay hidden. If you can effectively stay hidden, you will not have to worry about being shot at. Your mission being recon means you will be surveying an area from a distance." As she spoke I suited up and a few minutes later she had me sifting through the lockers again. "Its pretty small it clips to your ear, so I can speak to you without anyone hearing. For obvious reasons you don't want to be carrying around a hand held radio." "I found it I think," I said holding a small odd looking device. "Ok now there should be a switch on it, that turns it on. Once you flip the switch I can find it and then link my mic to it. Then you don't have to use that radio." She replied in a cheerful tone.

I clipped it to my ear. To my surprise she was already talking from it. "Now I need you to open up the weapons locker. You will need a sniper rifle and pistol." "I already picked up a pistol from outside." I replied. "Smart boy" she complimented. I grabbed the only sniper rifle in the locker and held it in my hands, It seemed oddly familiar, "ok I got a sniper rifle." I said.

She then began give me a crash course on how to use it. "Flip the lids open and look through the scope. The scope should already be zeroed in. "If you have to fire the weapon hold your breath and take your time with your target. This will allow you to steady your shot better. Hopefully you don't have to fire it. Without experience you'd probably be better off using the pistol. You will be using the rifle's scope to survey the area we need you to. If what you told the General is correct. You will need to report enemy locations, what type of weapons they are carrying and how many enemies." She explained.

"I don't see how this is going to help" I stated. "The information you will be giving us will be relayed to the team that is going in to secure the area. If they moved in without such information they would most likely die. So in a way their lives are in your hands. Theres a chance you might have to support them so remember what I said about aiming as long as you listen to me you should do just fine." Her words were reassuring.

"Now you need to load up on ammo. Below the weapons there should be a latch, open that. Inside you need to look for pistol clips and rifle magazines." Her voice seemed rushed, as she began to explain what the sniper magazines looked liked. I seemed to know what I was looking, cause I found them with ease, even she sounded surprised."ok you need to head directly south for now your several blocks away. Do yourself a favor and keep your finger off the trigger for now. You wouldn't want to shoot yourself."


	2. Chapter Two: Haunted

Interval One: Destruction

Chapter Two: Haunted

I began to head back down the way I came, I felt different like I left a piece of myself back at that gore hole. "Keep an eye out," The voice startled me. "I am." I lied. I watched the buildings on both sides, everything was quiet. No movement, no sounds just like before all that surrounded me was emptiness. As I walked through this deadzone I kept getting the feeling something or someone was watching me and it wasn't the person in my headset. Instinctively my body forced me to look back. Everytime I did, chills rampaged down my spine."So I take it that whatever is going on isn't normal?" I questioned, trying to keep the silence out of my mind."I'm afraid so," she replied.

It felt like the gravity lightened up drastically upon hearing her voice. I exhaled and continued the conversion. "You mind telling me what is happening?" Her voice seemed cautious. "Like the rest of the soldiers your strictly on a need to know basis." She said. "I am no fucking soldier here, I shouldn't even be attempting this suicide mission," I stated. Her tone seemed to agree with me. "Just trust me, You don't want to know right now." I didn't say another word about the matter.

Static began bleed into my ear from my headset. I stopped as something seemed to sweep the city in a heartbeat. The shockwave rocked my body, as I fell to one knee. Pain boiled in my head and my vision faded out of focus. A chilling scream followed that seemed to come from everywhere. It stopped abruptly. "Son of a bitch!" the voice came through my malfunctioning headset. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears. "What...don't tell me you felt that too!" I yelled. "I need to you move, no questions you have to run! You have to get to the lookout point, go!" She yelled back. "I'm going" I replied, She seemed scared. I could hear her breathing hard into the mic.

I didn't have the time to think about anything as I ran down the street, one block after another. I must have ran close to a mile before she finally told me to stop. "Ok hold it your very close now I need you to be as quiet as you possibly can. There should be an alleyway on your right I need you to take it, keep going till I say, move!" She commanded. I was struggling to get air. "I need to catch my breath!," I protested. "Theres no time! you have to move." I couldn't tell if she was being hostile or protective.

I pushed on heading down the alley. "You would have to send me down the most spookiest alleyway in this blasted city wouldn't you?" I said joking. She didn't reply, "I was kidding," I admitted. She still didn't say anything. I slowed to a stop under the vast walls of skyscrapers that touched the sky. "Lieutenant!" I yelled. Looking around I noticed where I was, it was like nighttime in the shadow of the skyscrapers. A chilling wind rushed down the alleyway between the buildings. I heard a faint whisper that made me turn around, facing the way I came.

My eyes focused on the figure a few blocks down the way. To my horror the figure in a instant was several feet away facing me. The woman seemed deformed, or dead. She was impossibly thin, and her skin was so pale it stood out like a open wound. Her pitch black hair draped over her torso, covering her chest. She took a step towards me, and then another closing the distance between us. I wanted to move but I couldn't, my legs wouldn't response nor would my arms.

A gust of wind rushed past her throwing her hair into the air. Her eyes were burning violently, I could see her pupils, her whole face as her eyes lift it up. It look like a skull with skin on it. "Your not him" the voice suffocated the air. I knew it was coming from her, but her lips didn't speak the words. I closed my eyes and I heard another voice, a familiar one. "Did you hear me?" I opened my eyes looking down the alleyway. "What?" I snapped. "I said you need to head down that alleyway hurry up the team is waiting." I stood there looking down the alleyway I could have sworn I just ran down. I looked up at the skyscrapers a few block down.

"Isn't there another route?" I questioned. "What the fuck are you talking about? No there isn't another fucking route, you need to..." She cut off like she was interrupted. I didn't wait for her to start talking again. I began to run down the alley. "Look I know this is hard on you, everyone here is edgy including me. Please just lis..." " I am already doing what you wanted me to do, I don't need your thanks or your apologizes. Just get me the fuck out of here once I am done doing your dirty work," I said cutting her off.

I ran down the narrow passage not wanting to look back. As I approached the darkness of the very buildings I'd had stopped under I began to get goosebumps, chills tingled down my neck slowly working their way down my spine. I crossed into the shadows and jumped when I heard her voice in my head set. "ok a few more blocks, and I will have you to climb to a rooftop to over look the facility's entrance." I was shaking all over I had to stop too gathering myself. A gust of wind blew through alleyway towards the way I had come. "No!" I yelled. "No what?" followed after my plead. I didn't want to turn. My body twitched as I instinctively turned to face the way I came.

Like a mirror everything was just like the vision. But there was no figure, "Whats wrong?" sounded off in my head through the headset. My body began to relax. "Nothing," I replied relieved. I was about to turn around when a figure began to cross into the alleyway. It moved slowly, and stopped right where I'd had seen it in the vision. It turned and faced me, to my horror mirroring the nightmare. "Fuck you!" I screamed as every nerve in my body felt the wind that rushed the opposite way now. Paralyzed with fear I stared at the figure in horror. "Whats the hell is going on?" blared through my head. "I'm being stalked or I am going insane. She's after me!" I screamed. "Get out of there you hear me run, run now! RUN!" I was frozen even as her voice rang into my ears my eyes were still fixed on figure who hadn't moved an inch. I took afew steps back and turned around in a dead sprint running down the alleyway.

I didn't stop running I was so pumped with adrenaline that I seemed to be floating off the ground. I seemed to have gone on for blocks and blocks before her voice broke through the blockade in my head. "Stop!" "Fucking stop!" I came to a rocky halt. "My god are you ok?" she asked as I immediately grabbed my head in pain. "I am fine, just please tell me I am there." my voice expressed my wrecked mind. "yes your there, I know your scared please I need you to push on. I need to you look for a way to get to the rooftops on one of the buildings to your left." I winced in pain as I looked around. "There is a fire escape the ladder is down." I stated. "Use it, but be quiet and don't get on the rooftop when you get to the top. Wait for my instructions before you poke your head out."

I started up the ladder and began to climb to stairs. "Stop" I froze. "Turn and look down the alleyway. Do you see those three figures about two blocks down? Yea those are friendlies do us a big favor and please don't shoot them. They are waiting for you to do a good job." They quickly disappeared from the alleyway. I smiled as I began to climb more stairs. "So how are you keeping an eye on me?" I asked.  
"A Satellite, pretty useful huh?" she replied cheerfully. "Yes very," I said agreeing with her.,

I looked down alley in the direction from which I came. I began to get goosebumps, I shook my head. Trying to bury the fear of whatever seemed to be haunting me. I was extremely far away from the skyscrapers at least two miles. I had ran all those blocks, yet I couldn't seem to remember the trip. I tried to think about other things but the corpse-like figure hid behind the see-thru veil. I looked down at my hands they were shaking violently. I had just noticed it, I clinched them in fists, they popped horribly. There was dried blood on my knuckles, scabbed over wounds from when I had use the military vehicle as a punching bag. But they didn't hurt I felt nothing not the pain in my head.

In fact I felt like I was floating off the ground. A feeling that was both unnerving and relaxing. Like a reference to being dead or close to it, yet somehow alive at the same time. I reached the top and stopped "I'm at the top" I said into the headset. "Good, the building looks a bit beaten up from the explosion. There is smoke rising from a section of the roof that has caved in. You'll want to stay clear of that of course. There is some cover up there but don't be running around you'll end up a dead chicken," she stated.

"Ok your objective is to recon the building directly to your south you can't miss it. Any soldier activity, their weapons, their location. I want you to tell me what they are wearing, and if there is any mobile armor on the ground. I want you to pick this clean to the bone! I want you to tell me which ones look like they are taking breaks and the amount of hairs on their chins, you hear me?" Her voice sounded like she had practiced this for years, she sounded about as authoritative as the General. Something inside me seemed to break free, "Yes ma'am" I replied. "Good, now get over the top and find cover, Move!" she commanded.

I looked up and climbed the last flight of stairs that led to the roof, I stopped and looked over the roof top from my crouch position on the steps. There indeed was black smoke rising from the rooftop but most the damage was blocked from view by a stairwell rooftop door. The door was open and smoke was coming from it. I moved onto the rooftop staying crouched as I made my way across it. I began to notice the building I was suppose to look over. "Move to the south end of the building." the Lieutenant's voice whispered into my ear. I didn't answer but did as she instructed. I reached the south end and leaned up against the concrete wall. I was looking at the massive gash in the rooftop several feet from me.

I saw the burned out husk of a car inside the pit. Obviously the car had been thrown from the explosion . Slamming into the building like a meteorite. I turned away after I began to notice human remains in and around the vehicle. "You ready?" she asked. "About as ready as I can get," I replied. "You'll do fine." I pulled out my rifle and turned it towards the building. "Keep the barrel of your gun from sticking out it gives off less profile." She hissed. I looked through the scope and scanned the area. I immediately began to give her information. "A group of soldiers in the courtyard left side, low, behind some sandbags," I stated.

"Are their faces concealed?" She questioned. "Yeah looks like all of them are..." "all of them? Just how many we talking?" She asked. "a few dozen around some vehicles in the parking lot." I replied. "These vehicles civilian or military?" "Not civilian they have turrets on them." I replied. "Ok I need you to look around for a sign around the entrance," She requested. I scanned for what she asked. "I believe it says Armacham Psychiatric Hospital?" I replied. "Alright hold on a second." she said. I continued to scan the area waiting for her to reply. The forces down below seemed to be on guard but unaware of my presence.

They had turned the parking lot into a make-shift base it appeared. It was small and there didn't seem to be a lot of soldiers around. The distant echoing of a helicopter could be heard and it was growing louder. "Ok that chopper do you have a visual on it?" The Lieutenant's voice blared. "No, not at the moment," I replied. "Keep an eye out it looks like its heading towards the facility, it is not one of ours." After a few minutes the aircraft came into view and landed on the rooftop of the Hospital. "Look to the rooftop what do you see?" She asked. "Give me a second," I replied.

"There are quite a lot of soldiers getting out of it. There appears to be a greeting and a..." I was stopped in mid-sentence, the person who had gotten out of the chopper, greeting the person who had came to him; pulled out a pistol and shot the other in the head. Then his companions opened fire as well on the welcoming party. I watched the battle on the roof as the Helicopter had lifted off and turned its guns on the soldiers in the parking lot. I was blown back as rockets laid waste to the it. The sudden joint to my body had left me disoriented and utterly confused. My head blazed in pain. As I slowly collected myself I could hear Fairchild's voice screaming. "Cover the squads' advance towards the entrance they must secure it!"

I didn't have time to think, nor was I thinking. I grabbed my rifle and turned towards the building. The Helicopter had turned the parking lot into a smoldering ruin. Almost everything was on fire, and if it wasn't it was about to be. What was left of the ground forces had took what cover they could find and was firing back at the Chopper. "What is the hell is going on!" I asked, as my skull was being rocked. My brain seemed to be searching to find a way out.

I grabbed me head in pain. "No time you have to help the squad secure the courtyard...They..ar...on th..roof..." Static enveloped my headset. I turned and looked over the battlefield. "shit...cov..er your ears!" I turned just as a rocket was fired from the rooftop beside me and slammed into the helicopter's cockpit. The explosion was violent but the chopper didn't disintegrate. It hovered perfectly for a few seconds but it seemed to be coming closer. I watched as it began to shake violently. What was left of the cockpit was on fire.

At that moment the body of chopper shifted horizontally and began to dive directly towards my position, I could hear Fairchild's voice screaming in my ear but I was unable to understand her. I was running towards the open door leading down into the stairwell. I made it inside as the building began to shake like it was crumbling. The sound of metal against building pierced my ears. The blades were slicing into the rooftop like a razorblade through skin.

My eyes were burning as I struggled to breathe. I was hacking as I stepped into the hallway full of black smoke. The headset had went completely haywire, I covered my mouth and pushed onwards. The hallway appeared clear of debris, as I continued practically blind down it. Through the static I seemed to hear some kind of voice. I turned around as I reached the end. Through the smoke something was crawling on the ground down the hallway towards me. I didn't take the time to get a good look at whatever it was.

I turned around and kicked the door until it gave away. I barely got through the door way blacking out from the lack of oxygen. Fortunately this stairwell was clear of smoke. I almost fell over the edge when I collapsed. I coughed and hacked as I sucked in fresh air. The door behind me violently shut I felt the wind rush by as it closed. I immediately turned and faced the door. My heart was doing laps in my chest. I put my hands on my knees and continued trying to catch my breath.

I opened the door and looked into the hallway a lot of the smoke had cleared. I could hear the sounds of gunfire from outside. It was then I remembered what I was suppose to be doing and I closed the door and quickly made my way down to the first floor. I was looking down a narrow hallway that lead outside, the gunfire was loud. The door's glass had been blown out. I crouched down and tried survey the area from inside the building but ground level was proving to be difficult. A large plume of smoke was rising from the parking lot. Which just made it that more harder, I saw nothing but the smoking ruins that laid before the facility.

I moved outside and took cover behind a vehicle in the street. My conscious was raising red flags at my choice of action. I didn't know why but something seemed to be driving me, like I knew what I was doing. I knew I had a job to do and I was going to see it through. I hadn't seen my comrades but I knew it was them that had took down the attacking helicopter. If it hadn't had been them, my body shuddered at the thought.

I looked over the vehicle trying get a better look at the scene. It had grown oddly quiet since the chopper came down. I moved to the edge of the vehicle preparing to move but as I did something grabbed me from behind and pulled me back. I fought my attacker, until I felt the chill of cold metal against my temple. I shifted my glaze, seeing a surprised face staring down the barrel of my pistol. I had managed to pull it out in the struggle.

I lowered it and turned alittle more noticing two more faces a female's and someone else holding a pistol to my skull. His face was masked, he pulled the gun away from my head and quickly holstered his weapon. It was blindly quick, like a mere flick of the wrist and his pistol was in its rightful place against his leg. I turned to the girl and she put a finger to her mouth. "Your our recon right? On the rooftop next to us where that chopper came down?" I turned nodding to the black skinned man. "Roger Wolves Den he's alive." He spoke into his headset. "He is uninjured though has appeared to have lost his headset in the confusion."

I glared, it sounded like I was more of an experiment than an helpful part of their team. "Roger that, ok Chicken Legs we need you back in that building to help cover us as we make the push to take the entrance." "Chicken Legs I questioned," "Yeah Chicken Legs apparently Command hasn't bothered to give you a callsign, so I just gave you one. You must be one quick white boy to evaded that chopper you weren't paying attention to it until one of its rotary blades snapped and it pivoted like a broken neck right towards you." I glared as he smiled.

"So what are you a weekend soldier?" He questioned. I stared at him confused. "actually I'm just a civilian," I replied honestly. The masked one coughed, and turned his head towards the Hospital. "Your kidding right a civilian? No wonder Command didn't fill us in about you," "Holiday lay off him. I am sure They have their reasons for having him help us," The woman interjected. "Help us he..." At the same time they all put a hand to their ears and were listening to their headsets.

I waited patiently, but the two guys immediately began to run on foot I turned watching them. They seeked cover right as bullets rang out from somewhere around the entrance. They returned fire and looked over to me and the woman. I turned to her and she nodded as she turned to me. "Civilian or not we need your help. You don't understand the severity of the situation and I wish that Command wouldn't have gotten you involved. But Civilian or not no one is safe here. Not in daylight and especially not in the dark. We need you to go back into the building...go too about the fourth or fifth story and provide sniper fire for us. We need some support to take out the last remaining forces guarding the entrance!" She was already on foot running towards the other two.

I didn't know what to think, I turned and looked at the building the idea of going back to into a place that seemed to be haunted wasn't very inviting. All those other times, I didn't have to go back. Now I was being asked no rather this whole time they had been pleading for my help as unnecessary as it was. Like the General, the Lieutenant and now this woman. They seemed desperate, utterly desperate in this situation.

I stood up in my resolve as something sweeped the area in an instant. A shockwave, a pulse of energy just like before. My head rattled in pain, I couldn't think, I felt my heart beat against my skull. "Go!" I looked up seeing the woman yelling at me and waving her arms at the building. I grabbed my rifle, and stumbled into the building.

I made my way up the stairs, and counted the floors, I reached the fourth and tried the door. It was locked, I pulled out my pistol and fired at the door knob emptying the clip. The door creaked open and I reloaded my pistol as I moved in the hallway. At that point I was really wishing I still had my headset on. I kicked open a door to one of the rooms and took up position by the window. Looking out I could easily make sense of what I was seeing.

There were a lot more ground forces than I had originally thought. The helicopter had succeeded in turning the parking lot into a smoke filled maze of burning vehicles, equipment and provided a lot of cover for a force wanting to defend something. They were suppressing my friends but made no attempt to rush them. Three people against about two dozen soldiers dung into their defensive positions seemed abit suicidal in my mind.

I was starting to agree that perhaps I could be of some use. I got into position and trained my gun towards the enemy. I flipped the safety and zeroed in on my first target. With my finger on the trigger I held my breathe and fired. The shot echoed like the sound of church bells. I looked through my scope unsure if my shot had hit. My target hand's flew to his neck and began to fall. His comrades immediately stopped firing and hide behind their cover.

My team was on the move, rather the two guys were moving the woman stayed behind. They disappeared behind a plum of black smoke. Pulling back the bolt I ejected the empty shell and slammed another round into the chamber. The sound was thrilling, I began to look over the enemy once more they seemed confused. But they were smart not showing enough for me to get a decent shot. My friends were not returning fire, the battlefield had grown quiet. I watched closely looking for another chance to fire. As I did an explosion occurred rocking the area around the entrance. I looked to see that my allies were flanking around the side through the confusion of the explosion.

Because of my shot they were able to a better advantage point and ultimately take them by surprise. They had been to far away to even throw a grenade. I smiled at the thought of being able to help out. Gunfire rang out, as I watched on the enemy had shifted their ranks and were trying to regroup behind sandbags positioned infront of the entrance.

I pulled the trigger on my second target it was hard to tell where, but I knew I hit him. He fell to the ground and the remaining forces seemed to go down in a blur. After I had fired my second shot the masked guy charged them, and in a mere few seconds he was standing among their dead bodies. It had happened so quickly I wasn't able properly process what I had saw.

I scanned over the area several times each time, there was nothing. The three had gathered at the entrance to the facility the battle was over. I sat there with my finger still on the trigger my eye still trained down the scope, as the woman turned my way and began to wave. I exhaled and closed my eyes. "All lies" The words creeped into the back of my mind, it seemed like the voice had whispered the words directly into my ears. My heart immediately began to race as I instinctively turned. My finger was on the trigger as I slowly closed the distance between me and the door way.

I posted against the wall and looked into the hallway. I blinked as beads of sweat stung my eyes. I moved into the hallway looking down it to the far door. "I know all of you lies..." I felted the cold chill of someone's breath breeze past my neck. Someone was directly behind me. I turned with my rifle in hand and my finger on the trigger. A hand reached out grabbing the barrel of the rifle. A ghastly white boney hand holding my gun well away from the person grasping it. Pitch black hair draped down her face like curtains on a stage, extending past her neck, covering what would be her chest.

I was frozen in fear, I was inches away from her, From this person I had only seen once before and never wished to see again. I could feel something radiating off her something I didn't like. I gagged as the feeling flipped my stomach upside down. She opened her eyes staring directly into mine, looking up at me with her head tilted downwards. Her golden eyes ripping straight through me. They glowed and burned with an intensity I couldn't bare to stare at. I closed my eyes as pain flooded my head, I began to scream as the pain crawled down my spine and spread like a disease through out my body. I stumbled back and dropped to my knees.

My muscles all over my body began to spasm out. I gasped, I couldn't let the air out of my lunges to vocalize my distress. My muscles cramped while others continued to moved involuntary underneath my skin. I was able to hold myself up with my hand. My elbow had locked out in place. Keeping me hunched over as my body felt like it was falling apart. She walked up to me and my body ended its revolt. The pain began to lighten up.

I opened my eyes and immediately looked up seeing more of her body than I personally wanted. She was looking down directly at me. I began to rise off the ground I was floating in midair. She pointed down the hallway and I flew down it slamming through the door at the end of the hallway. The door seemed to exploded as I went through it slamming against the railing in the stairwell. My back arched against the railing as I yelled in agony.

My body came to rest, I laid sitting up looking back at the woman who had sent me there. My lower back was on fire but one side hurt more. I looked down at the shattered door and noticed the doorknob laying peacefully between my spread legs. For some reason I began to laugh. Perhaps maybe for once physical pain was drowning out my headache. More like suppressing the wildfire in my mind. I shook my head trying to get my eyes to focus. My vision was flirting in and out of focus as rapidly as my heartbeat. The hallway was clear she was gone. I coughed alittle and realized it was blood that I was coughing up, I could taste it.

The taste of blood wasn't something I had forgotten. As I sat there I began to wonder why. I was either extremely stupid or just plain knocked looney, but somehow I managed to pick myself up off the floor and slowly began to make my way back down the hallway. I pulled out my pistol and held it loosely at my side, it was about all I could do. My body was wrecked I felt it. I blinked and shook my head. my eyes felt odd, I couldn't see right. I couldn't focus them on anything.

I could heard the sound of footsteps and My body collapsed, as I slid down the wall I was using for support. I sat in the middle of the hallway leaning against the wall staring at the open doorway. I saw a blur of motion as something came through it and was moving down the hall towards me. Who it was they had came up from the stairwell that lead outside. I was hoping it was the people I was helping "Is he dead?" I could hear Holiday's voice. I felt a pair of fingers against my neck. "Not yet..." the woman's voice replied. I looked up through a curtain of my own hair, breathing irregularly, it hurt to breath now.

"What is that?" Her voice seemed concerned. "Whats what Jin?" Holiday questioned. She bent over and gently pushed my hair away from my face, studying my eyes. "Are you ok?" she asked. I looked down and shook my head. "We need to get him out of here, something is wrong," She said as she stood up. "You damn right somethings wrong he just the got shit beaten out him," Holiday pointed out. I smiled and tried to laugh but the pain was almost crippling. "I see can that Douglas but that is not the reason why I want to move him," Jin stated.

Someone grabbed my arm and lifted me up. I stood as my arm was laid across the back of someone's shoulders. The sudden movement made my lower back revolt I winced in pain. "I think I am drunk off of pain at the moment," I said smiling. The person helping me walk didn't reply. I could hear Holiday and the woman who's name was apparently Jin talking behind me. I came to the conclusion it was the quiet, masked one who was helping me. The stairwell amplified their voices, "It doesn't matter why, maybe she just wants to drive him insane, I don't know," Jin spoke.

"You have to admit this is different." Douglas replied. "I am not sure if she is targeting him, or just having fun. Whatever she did he needs some medical attention," She stated. "I'd say shes playing with her food and why do you need him outside to perform medical aid," Douglas questioned. "Like I said before somethings not right..." "That doesn't make any sense," he interrupted. "If you didn't notice it back there. Then you'll have to wait until I show you."

Time seems to almost stand still when you are in agony. I wasn't dead but feeling how I did. Death might have been a welcomed reprieve. Everytime I opened eyes closed she appeared out of the darkness, staring back at me until I opened them again. It felt like we had been going down the stairwell for ages. My head was spinning, I still couldn't focus, my vision was a white haze. But I didn't want to close them. Knowing all too well what was waiting for me if I did. Feeling the tendrils of sleep tugging at me, I could barely move a muscle to help the person assisting me down the stairs. Let alone fight my body's demand for my mind to shutdown.

I had no more energy to fight it. My pupils rolled into the back of my head. As I went unconscious she appeared out of the darkness. Her pale emaciated figure slowly walking towards me. Then she smiled and came after me screaming. The nightmare I was in was more vivid than anything I could possibly imagine. The familiar uninviting sky encompassed the horizon. I could hear her whispering but as I looked towards the familiar tree there was nothing. I seemed to be alone, but I instinctively knew better. The air was thick, like a blanket something you just couldn't throw off. I tried to breathe but it felt like something was sucking out the air from my lungs. I fell to a knee, and lifted my head looking into a street filled with wrecked cars. There were bodies in the street, as well as bodies in what was left of the vehicles.

I couldn't help but look at the corpses, some were nothing but skeletons, others were more…juicy. There were body parts and blood everywhere. I heard a childlike laugh as I froze looking at one of the bodies as it twitched. Its head snapped around looking at me. Flesh hanging off of its face. It screamed and began to crawl towards me with what was left of it's body. I stepped back and yelled as something grabbed my ankle. I quickly stomped on the bloody hand until it let go. That or I broken so many bones it no longer had any motor control left in its hand. I then kicked its face a few times before stomping on its neck with a sickening crunch.

I turned around my eyes glazing upon a street full of them. They had me surrounded. I shoved one away and, tried to fight them off. I began to lash out; I was about to overtaken when they began to twitch all at once. They were screaming out some began to throw up their insides and were dropping dead again. I was stood there to afraid to move.

I panted and tried to calm down. That's when I heard footfalls behind me getting louder. I turned and my heart immediately sank. I stepped back as she grabbed my shoulders and slammed me against a car. I heart was racing as I tried desperately to get her off me. Her boney fingers sank into my shoulders then they went to my neck. I gasped as I tried to suck in air all the while gazing into her volatile eyes. My hands grasped around her wrists trying to pry her hands away from my neck. I struggled against her but her grip wasn't faltering. It felt like my eyes were going to pop out of their sockets. She had my back arched against the hood of the car. My hands released their grip on her wrists as my body seemed to shutdown.

"Lies!" I woke up to the sound of her voice screaming the word. It seemed to echo in my head. I could hear ringing in my ears, as I slowly opened my eyes. A blinding light caused me to quickly close my eyes, as my hands flew to protect them. I groaned as my headache reacted to the light. Coughing I sat up and a hand gently touched my shoulder, I jumped and immediately my body began to tremble. "lay down!" the voice was demanding but wasn't the same one that I had come to fear. I opened one eye and tilted my head up using my hand as a visor to shield my vision. "lay down…." I could barely hear the voice through the ringing in my ears. I coughed again, and the hand on my shoulder pushed alittle harder but not forcefully.

As I laid back down I caught a blurry glimpse of the person who was by my side urging me with their hand. I wanted to ask so many things, but the pain from the rest of my body began to seep its way back to my head again. I almost gasped as I seemed to regain feeling of the rest of my body and getting a taste of it's cry. "How is he doing?" I could easily make out Douglas' voice. "I'm not sure at this point; all the other people I have analyzed have been dead." Jin replied. I groaned at the thought of being dead, I was wanting it to be true but at the same time wishing she wouldn't have said that.

There was a brief pause as footsteps approached us. For a few seconds I had a chilly feeling that I was being stared at. Then the sound of gravel shifting as someone walked away, made my body begin to relax. "He is getting impatient.." Douglas said quietly. "Command said they had a chopper coming." Jin stated. "Yeah and how long is that going to take?" Douglas questioned in a disbelieving tone. "Look I already told you both to go on ahead I can catch a ride on the helicopter with him." Douglas laughed, "and leaving you here alone out in the open for som…" Douglas cleared his throat. "Holiday please I'm trying to run tests I can't focus with you hovering over my work."

I laughed alittle but was also insulted, Jin noticed. "Shoo Shoo" she commanded. I opened my eyes part way, the light stung. "How are you feeling?" She questioned. "Like ground meat," I replied closing my eyes again. She coughed "You are lucky," she continued. "I am?" I questioned. She went silent for a minute or so. I laid there, getting very irritated that I couldn't open my eyes to see. I didn't want to remain a part of "her work" anymore. "Can you sit up?" I nodded without thinking I didn't care wither or not my body revolt.

I sprang up and caught myself with my hand as my lower back screamed at me. I gasped as it felt like my breath had just been stolen. "Here let me help you." Her voice sounded concerned. She grabbed my shoulder and eased me up into a sitting position. I winced in pain and had to hold myself up with my arm. "Oww that looks like it hurts," Jin implied. "You have no idea," I panted. She put a hand to my forehead and then felt my cheeks, "Your temperature seems fine." She then took a deep breath and placed both her hands over the top of my eyes. "Open them," she said her voice sounded worried.

I slowly opened my eyes and jumped some. Her face was mere inches from mine looking at my eyes. She studied them for several seconds. "What is your eye color?" she finally asked. "I don't know" I replied. "You don't know?" Her expression had confusion written all over it. "I don't know as with everything else I can't remember, why do you ask?" She studied my eyes abit longer before pulling away and turning to a notepad. "I'm not sure," she finally spoke. I looked down covering my eyes with my hands. "So what is the damage," I asked. "Well you might have a broken rib or two your lower back is bruised. I wrapped it while you were asleep." She didn't even look up from her notes as she spoke.

I wanted to ask what she knew. What or who had attacked me and why. But as I opened my mouth I bit my lip knowing if I said something she'd most likely just say some pathetic excuse to get out of spilling the whole mess. "So what do you want to know?" she questioned turning towards me. I was shocked, my mouth was ajar. She read my mind? I asked myself. I shook my head which sent needles through my head. "What the hell is going on?" As I asked my question, both the guys quickly walked pasted us out into the parking lot. Jin looked around at them and turned to me, she shook her head. I sat there waiting to see if she would reply. She looked down and sighed. "What is going on?" I questioned as my eyes followed them.

She smiled and grabbed her notebook and began to walk towards them. I cranked my body into motion and got up following after them. I reached them even as my body questioned why it had to move. "Wha…what is going on? I panted. I was looking at Jin, as she put a finger to her lips. They were all quiet and looking up at the sky. I turned my head and looked up in the direction they were and saw nothing. I turned back to Jin who smiled. "Listen," she whispered. I sighed and closed my eyes and began to listen. The sound was barely there, the ringing in my ears kept drowning it out.

A few moments later a blur of motion pasted right over us and kept going. I turned to Jin who was already looking at me, "Our ride is here." She said smiling. "What is his name?" I asked pointing to the mystery man accompanying Douglas. Jin smiled, "we call him Pointman. I looked at Douglas and the Pointman who had already made their way to the entrance of the facility. "Pointman? Doesn't he have a real name?" I questioned. "Of course," Jin smiled. She then walked away, as I stood there puzzled.

The sound of the rotor blades slicing through the air drummed in my head. I made my way over to the entrance as our transportation came in and was hovering over the parking lot. Jin was busy getting her stuff together; as the Pointman and Douglas were checking their weapons over. I felt weird I didn't know what I should be doing, my body was thankful to see the escape exit but at the same time felt out of place. I turned as Jin as she patted me on the back and was walking over to the Pointman who was busy loading shells into magazines. She touched his shoulder and he looked up. I couldn't tell what was being done her lips didn't move and I couldn't see his face.

She smiled and he looked down and went back to work. I turned to Holiday who was looking at me he smiled and nodded. I nodded back; he stood up and strapped his into pistol to his leg holster. "Are you ready to go!" Jin asked as she came around in front of me. "Yea!" I replied over the roaring engines of the chopper. She motioned me to follow as we began to make our way towards the helicopter.

I was ecstatic this whole time I have constantly been on edge, now I was going to get a chance to relax and perhaps figure out who I was. It had been a disturbing rollercoaster ride up until now. The mere thought of getting somewhere safe propelled me forward. We arrived in the shadow of the helicopter and Jin turned to me. "Ok they are not going to land, they are going to lower drop lines you'll need to grab a hold and they will pull you up." Jin yelled. I looked up seeing a guy poking his head out of the chopper. He gave a thumbs up and a rope began to lower. "You'll need to hang on real tight if you fall it won't be pretty." She stated. "Are you coming with?" I questioned. "Yeah after you, she said grabbing the rope and handing it to me. I took the rope and wrapped it around my fist clenching my hand and grabbing it with the other, Jin gave a thumps up and I looked up.

Nothing ever goes according to plan. Right as I looked up a something grabbed my shoulder very hard ripping my hands away from the rope, and I fell to the ground. I looked up and watched as a smoke trail approached the helicopter. In a split second the helicopter was a part of a fireworks display gone horribly wrong. The explosion disintegrated our transport I watched the guy operating the rope fly into the air to places unknown. I was in complete confusion as someone tugged at my shirt.

I looked up to see Jin screaming at me and pointing to the entrance of the facility I couldn't hear what she was saying. But I got the message. Pieces of our failed escape rained down all around us. Holiday was firing at something in front of us and the sound of a chainsaw echoed beside me. I looked to see the Pointman firing his weapon in the same direction. I scrambled to my feet and began to run, Jin was in front of me. Bullets zipped by us as we closed the distance between us and the entrance. Holiday knelt down and reloaded his assault rifle and began to fire again

He waved for us to keep going as he raised his weapon again firing. Jin was ahead of me stumbling over the bodies from the previous fight. I couldn't stop myself as I collided with her and we both fell. I picked myself off the ground and quickly grabbed her around the waist helping her to her feet. We made it inside and ducked down as Douglas came in and shut one of the doors. The Pointman was standing just outside still firing at our attackers. He emptied his clip and ejected the magazine from his rifle and turned toward us slowly walking inside. He reloaded his weapon turned around and fired again from inside the entrance emptying another clip before he grabbed the other door and slammed it shut.


End file.
